June 9, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Spanish Needle Creek
Miles: 22

Adrian:
You just know it's going to be a great day when you've been asked to model your legs for the cover of a book about hiking the PCT. Yep, it really happened. Phew is writing a book about her experience on the trail and approached me about it at Walker Pass.

We climbed 1,200 feet up to the Owen-Jenkins saddle. The first bit was through desert sand traversing up an east-facing slope. It was hot. The second part climbed into conifers offering shade and we glimpsed the stark, white granite of the east face of Owens. It was about a 3-mile ridge of granite spires shaped like a dragon's back. We passed many saddles and had great views of the peaks nearby.

Our campsite was at one of three crossings of the Spanish Needle Creek; we slept at the second. For dinner we had Bear Creek tortilla soup followed by phad thai (glorified ramen). Camped nearby were Beautiful, Gorgeous, and Sven from La Crosse, Wisconsin.

My shin splints have almost totally gone away after wearing the bandage for a few days. Lucky...

Kirsten:
A monster has been created. All these years and I never knew that I was married to America's Next Top Model. After the leg photo incident, I caught him holding onto his upper thigh as we made our way out of Walker's Pass. I asked Adrian what he was doing and he sheepishly admitted he was feeling his quads. We're going to have to insure his legs now.

We hiked and camped with Beautiful and Gorgeous today - my new favorite people on the trail. Super fun, a great couple and just all around good people.